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Sarasota couple win United Way Worldwide award

Published: Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 4:53 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, March 29, 2013 at 11:34 a.m.

SARASOTA - Barbara Siemer thought she was headed to a United Way meeting when she was called to downtown Columbus this past December. But when friends and colleagues greeted her with cake and roses, she realized something bigger was up.

United Way Worldwide named Barbara and Al Siemer — two longtime philanthropists who split their time between Ohio and Sarasota — with the National Tocqueville Award this week, ending what Barbara Siemer joked was the “worst-kept” secret.

Barbara Siemer said she and her husband were stunned to win the national award that recognizes commitment to community service within the United Way's Tocqueville Society, a group of the organization's most generous donors. Past winners include presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, and Melinda and Bill Gates.

“It's a great honor,” Barbara Siemer said. “And a great testimony to the program that we've been working on.”

That program is the Building Strong Families Program, an initiative to combat homelessness and family mobility that started in Sarasota in 2003 and has since expanded to 22 cities.

The programs have since been established into an umbrella organization called the Siemer Institute for Family Stability, based in Ohio.

Katie Knight, president of United Way Suncoast, remembers the smart, sophisticated couple that visited her office back in 2001.

Barbara and Al Siemer had just bought a home in Florida, and they immediately wanted to make a donation to the Sarasota chapter.

Later, she would help the Siemers partner with United Way to build the program, which involves “intensive” case-management plans that help struggling families in crisis. They brought in the Jewish Family and Children's Service as the lead agency, and made partnerships with the Sarasota school's, among others.

“This happened through their sheer desire to help families and children that are starting to fall in poverty,” Knight said. ”They are some of the most humble people that you would ever meet.”

Barbara Siemer, who said she has been involved in United Way for “years and years,” said Thursday that she has countless stories of people her program has helped. The program is expected to reach 50 cities by the end of 2014.

There's the woman who escaped an abusive husband in Mexico, who needed helping paying rent and getting a job so her straight-A student daughter could graduate at Booker High School. Or another woman who simply needed a new battery for her wheelchair so she could continue working.

“There needed to be some place to go when there is nowhere else to turn,” Barbara Siemer said. “If we can take them out of eviction mode, then they can take charge of their lives again.”

The Siemers will be honored alongside their children, Elizabeth and David, and grandchildren, at the Tocqueville Leaders Gathering in Washington D.C. this April.

“He's the business guy, the one who has helped push it to new communities,” Knight said of Al Siemer. “She's the one with the passion. That talks to all kinds of people.

<p><em>SARASOTA</em> - Barbara Siemer thought she was headed to a United Way meeting when she was called to downtown Columbus this past December. But when friends and colleagues greeted her with cake and roses, she realized something bigger was up.</p><p>United Way Worldwide named Barbara and Al Siemer — two longtime philanthropists who split their time between Ohio and Sarasota — with the National Tocqueville Award this week, ending what Barbara Siemer joked was the “worst-kept” secret.</p><p>Barbara Siemer said she and her husband were stunned to win the national award that recognizes commitment to community service within the United Way's Tocqueville Society, a group of the organization's most generous donors. Past winners include presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, and Melinda and Bill Gates. </p><p>“It's a great honor,” Barbara Siemer said. “And a great testimony to the program that we've been working on.” </p><p>That program is the Building Strong Families Program, an initiative to combat homelessness and family mobility that started in Sarasota in 2003 and has since expanded to 22 cities. </p><p>The programs have since been established into an umbrella organization called the Siemer Institute for Family Stability, based in Ohio.</p><p>Katie Knight, president of United Way Suncoast, remembers the smart, sophisticated couple that visited her office back in 2001.</p><p>Barbara and Al Siemer had just bought a home in Florida, and they immediately wanted to make a donation to the Sarasota chapter.</p><p>Later, she would help the Siemers partner with United Way to build the program, which involves “intensive” case-management plans that help struggling families in crisis. They brought in the Jewish Family and Children's Service as the lead agency, and made partnerships with the Sarasota school's, among others.</p><p>“This happened through their sheer desire to help families and children that are starting to fall in poverty,” Knight said. ”They are some of the most humble people that you would ever meet.”</p><p>Barbara Siemer, who said she has been involved in United Way for “years and years,” said Thursday that she has countless stories of people her program has helped. The program is expected to reach 50 cities by the end of 2014.</p><p>There's the woman who escaped an abusive husband in Mexico, who needed helping paying rent and getting a job so her straight-A student daughter could graduate at Booker High School. Or another woman who simply needed a new battery for her wheelchair so she could continue working.</p><p>“There needed to be some place to go when there is nowhere else to turn,” Barbara Siemer said. “If we can take them out of eviction mode, then they can take charge of their lives again.”</p><p>The Siemers will be honored alongside their children, Elizabeth and David, and grandchildren, at the Tocqueville Leaders Gathering in Washington D.C. this April.</p><p>“He's the business guy, the one who has helped push it to new communities,” Knight said of Al Siemer. “She's the one with the passion. That talks to all kinds of people.</p><p>They are a great pair.”</p>